Treasure Explorer (2009 video game)
Treasure Explorer is a first-person action-adventure video game developed by Insomniac Canada and published by Sega. Treasure Explorer is the eighth title in the Treasure Explorer franchise, and operates as a reboot that emphasises the reconstructed origins of Henry "Indiana" Jones III. Treasure Explorer was released on 5 March 2009 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Development of the game began in 2005. Rather than a sequel, the team decided to completely reboot the series, establishing the origins of Henry "Indiana" Jones III. Treasure Explorer takes place in 2013 and the plot is based on the story of the first Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark; It pits Indiana Jones III against a group of Nazis who are searching for the Ark of the Covenant, which Adolf Hitler believes will make his army invincible. Gameplay elements focus more on survival, although exploration is used within the game when exploring the island and various optional tombs. It is also the first game in the series to have multiplayer. Tom Hiddleston was announced to voice and perform as Indiana Jones III in 2006, replacing Matt Damon. Following it's announcement in June 2007, Treasure Explorer received much anticipation and hype. Upon release, the game received widespread critical success, with critics praising the graphics, the gameplay, Hiddleston's performance as Indiana, and Indiana's characterization and development, and retelling of the first Indiana Jones film's story, although the addition of the multiplayer mode was not well received and some reviewers directed criticism towards the disconnection between the narrative and the player's actions during gameplay. Treasure Explorer sold one million copies within 48 hours of its release, and sold more than 8.5 million copies by August 2009, making it the best-selling Treasure Explorer title to date. Gameplay Treasure Explorer is presented in first-person perspective. Players take control of the series lead character Henry "Indiana" Jones III. The game uses an interconnected hub-and-spoke model that combines action-adventure, exploration, and survival mechanics. Players can traverse between the camps and across the island using footpaths, improvised or already-available ziplines and climbable tracks. Many of the players moves are carried over from the previous games created by Nice Cat, with some tweaks added, such as incorporating elements of stealth gameplay. Quick Time Events are scattered at regular intervals throughout the game, often appearing at crucial or fast-moving points in the game's plot, such as extracting a shard of metal, and escaping a collapsing cave. The combat of the game borrows multiple elements from Naughty Dog's Uncharted series, with players having the ability to free-aim Indy's bow and the guns she salvages, engage in close-quarter combat and perform stealth kills. Players can also use Survival Instinct, an ability in which enemies, collectables and objects pivotal to environmental puzzles will be highlighted for players. The game also incorporates RPG elements: as players progress through the game, they earn experience points from performing certain actions and completing in-game challenges linked with hunting, exploring and combat: this enables players' skills and abilities to be upgraded in specific ways, such as giving her more storage capacity for arrows and ammunition. Multiplayer Alongside the single-player mode is an online multiplayer mode, which allows players to compete in several maps. In each multiplayer match, there are two enemy teams: four survivors and four scavengers, and there are three types of games for multiplayer to compete in, played in five different maps: the modes are Team Deathmatch, Private Rescue and Cry for Help. The first mode is a simple PvP combat scenario, with teams pitted against each other, and the winning team being the one to kill the opposing team in three separate matches. In the second mode, the "survivors" team must take medical supplies to a specific point on the map, while the "scavengers" must reach a certain number of kills, both within a ten-minute time limit. Synopsis Setting and characters The game is set in the 2010s unlike the film which is set in 1936. The player takes on the role of Indy, who is a young and ambitious archaeology graduate. Other characters include Marion Ravenwood, Indiana's former lover; French archaeologist René Belloq, Indiana's nemesis; Sallah, Indiana's sidekick; Gestapo agent Arnold Toht; and Marcus Brody, Indiana's colleague. Plot In 2013, 29 year old archaeologist Indiana Jones III braves an ancient booby-trapped temple in Peru and retrieves a golden idol. He is confronted by rival archaeologist René Belloq and the indigenous Hovitopeople. Surrounded and outnumbered, Indy surrenders the idol to Belloq and escapes aboard a waiting floatplane. Jones returns to his teaching position at Marshall College, where he is interviewed by two Army Intelligence agents. They inform him that the Nazis are searching for his old mentor, Abner Ravenwood, under whom Jones studied at the University of Chicago. The Nazis know that Ravenwood is the leading expert on the ancient city of Tanis in Egypt, and that he possesses the headpiece of the Staff of Ra. Jones deduces that the Nazis are searching for the Ark of the Covenant – the Nazis believe that if they acquire the Ark, their armies will become invincible. The Staff of Ra is the key to finding the Well of Souls, a secret chamber in which the Ark is buried. The agents authorize Jones to recover the Ark to prevent the Nazis from obtaining it. He travels to Nepal and discovers that Abner has died, and the headpiece is in the possession of Ravenwood's daughter Marion. Jones visits Marion at her tavern, where she reveals her bitter feelings toward him from a previous romantic affair. She physically rebuffs his offer to buy the headpiece, and Jones leaves. Shortly after, a group of thugs arrive with their Nazi commander, Arnold Toht. Toht threatens Marion to get the headpiece, but when Jones returns to the bar to fight the Nazis and save Marion, her bar is accidentally set on fire; during the fight, the headpiece ends up in the fire and Toht severely burns his hand trying to take the hot headpiece, and flees the tavern screaming. Indy and Marion escape with the headpiece, and Marion decides to accompany Indy in his search for the Ark so he can repay his debt to her. The pair travels to Cairo, where they meet up with Indy's friend Sallah, a skilled excavator. Sallah informs them that Belloq and the Nazis are digging for the Well of Souls with a replica of the headpiece (created from the scar on Toht's hand). They quickly realize the Nazi headpiece is incomplete and that the Nazis are digging in the wrong place. The Nazis kidnap Marion and it appears to Jones that she is killed in an exploding truck. After a confrontation with Belloq in a local bar, Indy and Sallah infiltrate the Nazi dig site and use their staff to correctly locate the Ark. Indy discovers Marion is alive, bound and gagged in a tent, but does not release her for fear of alerting the Nazis. Indy, Sallah, and a small group of diggers unearth the Well of Souls and acquire the Ark. Belloq and Nazi officer Colonel Dietrich arrive, seize the Ark from Jones, throwing Marion into the Well of Souls with him before sealing it back up. Jones and Marion escape to a local airstrip, where Jones has a fistfight with a Nazi mechanic and destroys the flying wing that was to transport the Ark to Berlin. The panicked Nazis remove the Ark in a truck and set off for Cairo, but Jones catches them and retakes it. He makes arrangements to take the Ark to London aboard a tramp steamer. The next day, a Nazi U-boat appears and intercepts the ship. Belloq and Dietrich seize the Ark and Marion but cannot locate Jones, who stows away aboard the U-boat and travels with them to an island in the Aegean Sea. Once there, Belloq plans to test the power of the Ark before presenting it to Hitler. Jones reveals himself and threatens to destroy the Ark with a panzerfaust, but Belloq calls his bluff and Jones surrenders rather than destroy such an important historical artifact. The Nazis take Indy and Marion to an area where the Ark will be opened and tie them to a post to observe. Belloq performs a ceremonial opening of the Ark, which appears to contain nothing but sand, all that remains of the Ten Commandments. Suddenly, angelic ghost-like beings emerge from the Ark. Indy cautions Marion to keep her eyes closed and not to observe what happens next. Belloq and the others look on in astonishment as the apparitions are suddenly revealed to be angels of death. A vortex of flame forms above the Ark and shoots bolts of fiery energy into the gathered Nazi soldiers, killing them all. As Belloq, Toht and Dietrich all scream in terror, the Ark turns its fury on them: Dietrich's head shrivels up, Toht's face is melted off his skull and Belloq's head explodes. Flames then engulf the remains of the doomed assembly, save for Indy and Marion, and the pillar of fire rises into the sky. The Ark's lid is blasted high into the air before dropping back down onto the Ark and sealing it. Jones and Marion find their ropes burned off and embrace. In Washington, D.C., the Army Intelligence agents inform Jones and Marcus Brody that the Ark is someplace safe and will be studied by "top men". The Ark is shown being stored in a giant government warehouse among countless similar crates. Development In 2005, Insomniac Canada was split into two teams for the first time in the company's history; the first beginning work on the next sequential pillar of the Treasure Explorer franchise, while the second focusing on the newly created Rex and Lance. Following pre-announcement media hype while the game's title was under embargo, in November 2006, Sega filed for trademark of the slogan for the new Treasure Explorer game; "An Adventurist is Born". On 6 December 2006, Sega announced Treasure Explorer had been in production for nearly 2 years; "Sega Ltd. is excited today to announce Treasure Explorer, the new game from Los Angeles based studio Nice Cat, collaborating with Hollywood director Steven Spielberg". Treasure Explorer was the first game in the series to receive an M rating in the United States. Animated model Indiana Jones III's model is animated using compiled performance capture, a technique used in the previous instalment Treasure Explorer: Awaken. The game was built on Nice Cat's game engine called "Fountain". Indy's face is based on that of Harrison Ford himself. On 3 June 2007, the "Turn Point" CGI teaser trailer premiered at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2007, emphasizing the release date was to be in the third quarter of 2008. The trailer was produced by Sega's CGI studio Visual Works. Voice cast Matt Damon did not return as Indiana Jones III for 2009's Treasure Explorer, after completing Treasure Explorer: Underground. On 26 June 2008, the voice actor of Indiana Jones III was revealed to be Tom Hiddleston. Gameplay showcases On 31 May 2008, a gameplay trailer was released online, showcasing more action-based gameplay along with varying plot elements. The trailer confirmed the presence of several other non-playable characters besides Indy on the island, many of which appear to be part of a menacing organization. Release Treasure Explorer was released as scheduled on 5 March 2009 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. However, it was released early in Australia, being available on 1 March 2009. On 25 April 2009, Treasure Explorer was released in Japan. Unlike the previous installments that received a T rating, Treasure Explorer is the first game in the series to receive an M rating by the ESRB, due to blood and gore, intense violence and strong language. Pre-release incentives Prior to the game's release, various stores offered extra items as a way of attracting customers to order the game from their store. In North America, GameStop offered the in-game Challenge Temple. Best Buy orders received the Treasure Explorer: The Beginning, a 48-page hardcover graphic novel, written by the game's lead writer Christopher Rouse, and telling the story of "how the ill-fated voyage of the Endurance came to be". These orders also came with the Avail Skin as well as the Shang Town multiplayer map. Customers ordering from Amazon, received access to the Treasure Explorer: The Final Hours Edition, including with a 32-page art book, an in-game Hunter Skin for Indy, and a digital copy of Geoff Keighley's The Final Hours of Treasure Explorer for the Kindle Fire. Customers also received the Shang Town multiplayer map and an access code to a real-life scavenger hunt. Retail editions Exclusive for Europe is the Survival Edition. The Survival Edition comes with a mini art book, double sided map of the in-game island, CD soundtrack, an exclusive weapons pack, and a survival pouch. The Collector's Edition for Europe contains everything from the Survival Edition along with an 8" Play Arts Kai Indiana Jones III figurine in a metal box. The Collector's Edition for North America is similar to the European one, however instead of a mini art book and a survival pouch it contains three iron-on badges and a lithograph. Downloadable content At E3 2008, during Sony's press conference, Insomniac Canada's Darren Galore announced that PlayStation 3 users would get early access to downloadable content (DLC). On 19 March 2009, PlayStation Network users had early access to the "Villages & Kingdoms" map pack. The map pack consists of three new Treasure Explorer multiplayer maps, entitled "Scavenger Cliffs", "Cavern Shantytown" and "Burning Temple". The pack later became available for Xbox Live and Steam users, on 24 April 2009. On 2 April 2013, the "1939" multiplayer map pack was released for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. This map pack consists of two new multiplayer maps, entitled "Dogwatch" and "Rain Meadow". On 25 April 2009, Sega released a Japanese Language Pack on Steam. A multiplayer DLC pack was released on 7 May 2009, entitled "Planewrecked", on Xbox Live, PSN and Steam. The DLC pack offered two additional multiplayer maps, "Lost Fleet" and "Himiko's Cradle".Additionally, a single player outfit pack was released on PlayStation Network. The pack contains the Demolition, Sure-Shot and Mountaineer outfits. Reception Reviews |Edge = 9/10 |EGM = 8/10 |EuroG = 9/10 |Fam = 39/40 |G4 = 8.1/10 |GameFan = 10/10 |GI = 9/10 |GamePro = 10/10 |GameRev = 9.4/10 |GMaster = 9.2/10 |GSpot = 9/10 |GRadar = | OPMUK = 8/10 | rev1 = Digital Spy | rev1Score = | rev2 = The Guardian | rev2Score = }} Treasure Explorer received critical acclaim, being praised as one of the best video games of all time, and earning numerous "Game of the Year" awards. In a 'world exclusive' review, GamesMaster magazine gave the game a score of 90%, as well as the "GamesMaster Gold award" (awarded to games that manage a score of 90% or above). The editor regarded the quality of the visuals, the length and depth of the gameplay, and the "spectacular" last third of the game as the highlights. The summary said "sitting back exhausted we were left with just one question dribbling forth from our gaping jaws. How on earth are they going to top this in the sequel? Because of one thing there can be no doubt. Indy III is back." PlayStation: The Official Magazine awarded the game a perfect score. In their review, they stated, "Forget Game of The Year. This is one of the greatest games of all time!". The UK edition of the magazine also gave the game a perfect score, and Treasure Explorer was later awarded "Game of the Year 2009" by the magazine. Later, readers of the same magazine voted it the greatest PlayStation title released. Hiawatha Bray of The Boston Globe said ...no video game has ever done a better job of capturing the style and rhythm of the movies. The action sequences in Treasure Explorer look as if they were shot by a team of cinematographers, then edited into a coherent and thrilling narrative. The game’s storyline is trite, but a first-rate cast of voice-over actors carry it off with flair. The Los Angeles Times review suggested the game would "fit better on a big screen in some multiplex", and also added that "Treasure Explorer is ridiculously immersive, so much so that you forget you are controlling the actions of treasure hunter Henry "Indiana" Jones III ... everything is done right." In a review for The New York Times, Seth Schiesel described it as "perhaps the best-looking game on any system, and no game yet has provided a more genuinely cinematic entertainment experience." IGN's Keza MacDonald also spoke extremely positively, stating that they felt the game was "exciting" and "beautifully presented", included "great characterization" and "more depth than you would expect". They gave the game an overall score of 9.1 out of 10, the highest score they have given a game in the series since 1997's Treasure Explorer, describing it as "amazing" and concluding that the game "did justice" to both the character and franchise. Ryan Taljonick of GamesRadar lauded the location's setting and environment, and expressed that "not one area ever feels like a rehash of another". Taljonick also felt that the game had great pacing, and that it is "unrivaled by any other game in the genre". Furthermore, the reviewer considered Indy III's character development as "an integral part" of the whole game's experience, and concluded that Treasure Explorer "is a fantastic game and an excellent origin story for one of gaming's original treasure seekers". Australian TV show Good Game praised the game: it was rated 10/10 by both hosts, becoming the eighth game in the show's seven-year run to do so. Giant Bomb gave the game four stars out of five, stating that "Treasure Explorer's tone is somewhat at odds with its action, but the reborn Henry "Indiana" Jones III seems primed for a successful new adventuring career". One of the major criticisms of the game stemmed from a disparity between the emotional thrust of the story and the actions of the player, with GameTrailers' Justin Speer pointing out that while the story attempted to characterize Henry "Indiana" Jones III as vulnerable and uncomfortable with killing, the player was encouraged to engage enemies aggressively and use brutal tactics to earn more experience points. Speer felt that this paradoxical approach ultimately let the game down as it undermined Indy's character to the point where he found it difficult to identify with her at all. IGN's Keza MacDonald also highlighted the issue, but was less critical of it than Speer, pointing out that both Lara and the player had to adapt quickly to killing in order to survive. However, Game Informer's Matt Miller noted that the game offered the player several options for progressing through its combat situations, and that the player could avoid open conflict entirely if they chose to do so. He also praised the behaviour and presence of the enemies for the way they felt like they had actual tasks to perform on the island, rather than being clusters of polygons whose only function was to be killed by the player in order for them to progress. While on the subject of character development, GamesRadar's Ryan Taljonick expressed that the supporting characters were underdeveloped relative to Henry "Indiana" Jones III, describing them as "pretty generic characters who, while rarely annoying, just aren't memorable". While many reviews applauded the single-player campaign, the multiplayer mode bore the brunt of the game's criticism, with MacDonald, Speer and Miller all finding fault with it, describing it as lackluster and stating that the difference between the developer's vision for the game mode and the finished product made it difficult to enjoy. Sales The game had sold more than 2 million copies in less than forty-eight hours of its release. In the United Kingdom, Treasure Explorer debuted at number one on the charts, and became the biggest UK title launch in 2009. Treasure Explorer set a new record for the franchise, more than doubling the debut sales of Treasure Explorer: Legacy. Furthermore, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Treasure Explorer set new week one records as the fastest-selling individual formats of any Treasure Explorer title so far, a record which was previously held by Treasure Explorer: The Demon of Light. Treasure Explorer also topped the charts in France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United States. References Category:Video Games Category:Treasure Explorer Category:SEGA Category:Insomniac Canada Category:Microsoft Windows Games Category:PlayStation 3 games Category:Xbox 360 games Category:2009 video games